As a Lease Ends, Open Houses Begin

My lease grants my landlord the right to two open houses a week during the 60 days before the end of my lease. Each open house is to be at least two hours long, and I am required to be present. The times of the open houses are not specified, and 16 open houses seems ridiculous. What is reasonable? And what are my options, besides trying to negotiate with my landlord?

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn

Rents might be slowly drifting down, in the general direction of Earth, but not at such a rate that it should take 16 open houses to rent out an apartment in Brooklyn Heights. “At the most, an apartment is on the market for, like, a month,” said Carey Larsen, an agent at Citi Habitats.

Your landlord is entitled to reasonable access to your apartment, which means that if you are not renewing your lease, you must make it available for prospective tenants to view it. Usually, brokers will call with 24 hours’ notice requesting access, but open houses are not common among rentals — and certainly not ones where the tenant must be present.

It is not reasonable for the landlord to demand that you sit through more than a dozen two-hour public events, said Susan Crumiller, a Manhattan lawyer who represents tenants. But it is doubtful this scenario will come to pass. “Most likely, the place will get rented out during one of the first open houses,” Ms. Crumiller said. “So it might totally be a moot point.”

Despite your reluctance to negotiate with your landlord, you might be closer to an amicable agreement than you think. An open house at a set time is substantially less intrusive than a string of endless, unexpected calls from brokers. “There have been times when I’ve shown an apartment 60 times, so 16 is a gift,” said Aaron Seawood, an associate broker at Compass.

Still, the demands on your personal time are intrusive. Tell your landlord you are willing to make time for the open houses, but you do not want to chaperone them. If you remove your valuables and tidy the space, there should be no reason for you to be there. Does the landlord really want a disgruntled tenant hanging around prospective tenants? In all likelihood, he will see the wisdom in your offer and acquiesce.

You also have leverage. If he refuses to negotiate and you simply ditch the open houses, what option does he have? Sure, he could try to evict you. But, as Ms. Crumiller pointed out, that is “an idle threat, since the tenant’s going to be moving out soon anyway.”

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Sauna on the Roof

I own a condo with a large unfinished roof deck. Would it violate any New York City building codes to install a sauna there?

Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Step onto the rooftop of a large apartment building and it’s hard not to imagine the potential. Cabanas, outdoor televisions, swimming pools — all have become commonplace in the luxury housing market. Why not add a sauna to your roof? But just because you have the space doesn’t mean your rooftop also has the muscle to support a steamy addition.

Before you start picking out sauna benches, “determine if the underlying roof structure can handle the additional load,” said Michael Larkin, a senior structural engineer at RAND Engineering and Architecture. Hire a structural engineer or an architect to evaluate the roof deck.

Assuming the project is possible, you would likely need to amend the certificate of occupancy to include the new recreational use, a process that requires approval from the city’s Buildings Department, said Paul Grissett, the head of RAND’s code and zoning compliance team. The roof would have to comply with the fire code and other building codes. And if the building is designated a landmark or in a historic district, you would also need approval from the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.

You will probably need board approval as well, assuming the governing documents allow for such a structure. To win the board’s approval, expect to hire an architect and to show that the project is legal and would comply with all permitting requirements, said Maxwell Breed, a Manhattan real estate lawyer.

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A Delinquent Tenant

My husband and I own a three-unit market-rate rental building. In July 2015, we signed a lease with a tenant whose security deposit bounced, rendering the lease null and void. After a second check cleared, we told him he could stay on a month-to-month basis. In March, his rent was 18 days late. He was argumentative and not at all apologetic. He is now current on the rent, but our relationship is strained. He no longer says hello when we pass on the street, even though we live just two doors away and see him daily. This is the first time in 15 years that we have had a problem with a tenant. We would like him to move, but don’t have any idea how to make that happen.

Long Island City, Queens

You are fortunate to have had a good rapport with your tenants all these years, particularly because landlord-tenant relationships are not always warm and fuzzy. But no matter how friendly you are, an eviction notice will not be well received.

Before you take steps to evict a tenant, make sure that you actually can. Read the lease again to confirm that a bounced security deposit voided it, said Sherwin Belkin, a Manhattan lawyer who represents landlords. If the lease is still valid, you most likely will have to wait until it expires to get him out. At that time, do not offer a renewal.

If the lease is no longer valid, you can serve him with a 30-day notice terminating the month-to-month tenancy at the end of the month. If he does not vacate the premises within 30 days, do not accept rent from him and begin an eviction proceeding in Housing Court.

Conflict between landlords and tenants is sometimes unavoidable. For you, this is a loss of income, but for your tenant, it is the loss of his home. He might feel angry, resentful and anxious about an unexpected move, which will likely be expensive and time-consuming.

Try to take the high road. Keep your tone civil, professional and not personal. If you can, use your lawyer as an intermediary.

“Nothing can stop the angry looks or curses mumbled under the breath,” Mr. Belkin said. But if tensions flare, “Simply tell the tenant, ‘Talk to my lawyer.’ ”